As a major reflection on the content of the curriculum, textbooks are the main resource of teachers. The aim of this study was to analyze the content of selected series of primary music textbooks in Hong Kong. An analysis framework was designed. Data obtained from the analysis were subjected to basic descriptive statistics. Demographics including frequency and percentage distributions of the listed features were studied. The analysis was done on the micro level as well as the macro level. The intra- and inter-relationships of the content of the textbooks series were revealed. The study analyzes the proportion of music elements, music knowledge, and the types of activities presented in the textbook series. Main findings reveal that the performing of music in various forms is a dominant classroom activity while the proportion of creating music is minimal and that on the listening to music is comparatively low. Other significant results include that the number of songs of foreign origins outnumbers that of Chinese and local origins, though the language used is mostly Cantonese. Regarding music content and music activities, a comprehensive intended primary music curriculum is recommended. It is hoped that this study would furnish a basis for better refining the music curriculum and would provide insight for its future development.
[Copyright © 2000 The Hong Kong Institute of Education.]

The fast growth of digital technology, transportation system, and wireless communication networks in recent years has dramatically increased the contact of people from different countries and regions. Accompanying this is the need to have better understanding of different cultures to attain harmony among all walks of life for a concerted effort to develop the earth. As an important part of culture, music facilitates the multi-faceted understanding and knowledge of countries and regions. Western classics, which have long taken an important portion of the music curriculum, gradually got more companies from local traditional music and popular music as can be seen from the music curriculum of many places. Excluding these, to what extent music from other parts of the world is included in the music, educational, and cultural policies of china is worth investigation. This paper will focus on cultural inclusivity in the music curriculum of primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong and Nanjing. Curriculum documents for various stages of learning from lower primary through senior high school levels would be investigated and compared. It will see how much cultural understanding may be brought about by the music curriculum. The depth and breadth of this cultural understanding would be analyzed and the transparency of purpose checked. There would be a review of the literature in an attempt to establish the basis for analysis of the curriculum documents. The inclusion of music from different parts of the world appears to be covered in relation to the domains of appreciation, performing, and creating, as well as cultural specific areas such as aesthetic sense, philosophical aspirations, and functionalities (context of the music). Implications for music education, teacher education, and policy-making regarding cultural inclusiveness would be deliberated to inform concerned music educators.

Information Technology (IT) has been infiltrating in every aspects of life, revolutionizing different modes of life, and making it inevitable to be incorporated in education. With a vision that it will help to change the future of mankind for good, policies have been set up by governments, institutions including schools to encourage, support, and monitor the applications of it. Viewing the escalating development of mobile technology and the fascination it has in attracting almost everyone to own a computer, a smart phone, and social networking device such as the whatsapp, face book, it is unimaginable to do without this technology in education. The modes of teaching and learning in music education, with its long history of association with different kinds of technology/instruments again have significantly found to be facilitated by the new digital technology. This study explicates how the technology policy in education has been implemented by the new generation pre-service music teachers who have been widely submerged in the sea of the ever changing technology. A total of 40 music lessons delivered by 20 pre-service music teachers, 10 each from hong kong and nanjing are to be observed. An observation form with closed-ended and opened-ended questions related to how the teaching practices of these pre-service teachers have incorporated technologies in their lessons is designed to collect data for analysis. The kinds of technologies used and the effectiveness in facilitating learning are examined. The practices are triangulated with the technology policy of government, regions, and schools in connection to identify issues confronting pre-service music teachers. The aspects which excel in the application of technology by pre-service music teaching practice recognized to include domains in music creating, listening, and performance, as well as assessment would be discussed. The increase in the use of music e-books in primary schools provided by publishers, the incorporation

As a major reflection on the horizontal and vertical integration of the content of the curriculum, textbooks are the main resource of teachers. The aim of this study was to analyze the content of selected series of primary music textbooks in Hong Kong. An analysis framework was designed. Data obtained from the analysis were subjected to basic descriptive statistics. Demographics including frequency and percentage distributions of the listed features were studied. The analysis was done on the micro level as well as the macro level. The intra and inter relationships of the content of the textbook series were revealed. It could be seen that the music elements and music knowledge were presented in quite a balanced proportion. The performing of music in various forms was a dominant classroom activity while the proportion of creating music is still small and that on the listening to music was acceptable. Assessment activity was minimal. Other significant result included that the number of songs of foreign origins outnumbered that of Chinese and local origins though the language used was mostly Cantonese. Since textbook is a kind of operational curriculum, it is recommended that a more balanced content should be included and designed for a more comprehensive and effective music teaching and learning.
[Copyright © 2000 The Hong Kong Institute of Education]

One of the roles of music teacher education is to produce music teachers with proficiencies in delivering music education at different educational levels. The impact of the development of IT in education in Hong Kong has been tremendous. The Hong Kong Education Department and the teacher education institutions are urging teachers in every discipline (including music) to apply the technology to a certain proportion of teaching and learning. Teacher proficiency requirements in IT have been developed quickly. As such, the philosophy that has prompted the inclusion of technology in music teacher education must be evident. The paper aims to investigate some aspects of the philosophy behind promoting IT to a level of such importance. A paradigm shift has come about in the approaches of teaching and learning from teacher-centered to student-centered for a range of reasons including the advent of IT. The teacher has to take on more of a facilitator role in stimulating students to learn how to learn rather than teaching what to learn. This aligns with the advocacy of flexible and life-long learning which are prevailing thoughts in the education world nowadays. These generic values are to be considered with the more unique values of IT in music teacher education. A new philosophy could imply more drastic changes in education in the near future. This could affect music teacher education as well as music education. The issues of how far a philosophy will induce quality learning and whether this application of IT could equate to quality teaching are to be considered. In a world which calls for reflective thinking as well as quality assurance and excellence, it is hoped that this paper will contribute to the discussion on the philosophy of the application of IT in music teacher education.
[Copyright © 2001 Aichi University of Education.]

Computer-based technology, a relatively recent innovation, has taken an important place in both teacher education and in school education. In music teacher education programs, since computer-based music technology has been included in Hong Kong, it is the concern of music teacher educators to know how well their student teachers are implementing what they have learnt, and whether what they have learnt are practical. This paper reports on an investigation of the perception of a class of music student teachers on the curriculum of a computer-based music technology course, the self evaluation of their standard after taking the course and how well they have applied the technology to their music teaching and learning. The data has been collected through a questionnaire administered to the students at the end of a music technology course and then a phone interview of these students when they were teaching in schools. The analysis of the data revealed situations encountered by these music teachers. Recommendations are made regarding further development of the computer-based music technology curriculum in the music teacher education programs.
[Copyright © 2003 The Hong Kong Institute of Education.]